Kingstonians urged to ‘test drive’ active transportation during Commuter Challenge
Commuter Challenge week is coming up quickly, and Sustainable Kingston, with support from a volunteer committee comprised of community and institutional partners, is asking Kingston residents to try out active transportation throughout the challenge week.
Held during Canadian Environment Week, the Commuter Challenge encourages Canadians to leave their cars at home. It rewards walking, cycling, carpooling/ride-sharing, taking transit, and telecommuting, and is a friendly competition between Canadian cities and workplaces, according to the Commuter Challenge website.
This year, the challenge will take place from Jun. 4 to 10, 2023, and individuals and workplace groups are encouraged to participate. This coincides with Kingston Cycling Week, which Sustainable Kingston is also supporting.
“There are so many great reasons to bike, walk or take transit to school or work,” stated Geoff Hendry, COO of Sustainable Kingston. “In addition to being one of the most impactful things you can do to address the climate crisis, you’ll save money and feel healthier.”
To help this year’s event be more successful, Sustainable Kingston is challenging people in Kingston who currently commute by car to “test drive” active transportation for one week, according to a release from the organization.
How to sign up your workplace:
- Choose a workplace ambassador.
- Register your workplace at commuterchallenge.ca.
- Encourage your colleagues to register under your workplace/organization profile on commuterchallenge.ca.
- From June 4 to 10, log your sustainable commute on commuterchallenge.ca. (Your colleagues do the same on their own.)
In 2022, Kingston Commuter Challenge participants logged 152,039 km of sustainable commuting. This avoided 8,929 kg of CO2 emissions, saved 4,072 litres of fuel, and burned 673,682 calories, according to the release.
For more information about how your organization can participate, please contact Geoff Hendry, Manager of Communications and Business Development at Sustainable Kingston at [email protected].
To learn more about the Commuter Challenge, or to sign up as a workplace or an individual, visit their website.